Equestria Girls: An Honest Performance
by Blackbird
Summary: A performance at the coffee shop's new music corner gives Applejack an opportunity to express her how she truly feelings for one of her closest friends.


My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Equestria Girls is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

**Equestria Girls: An Honest Performance**

As Applejack stood before the intently waiting café crowd, she took a few deep breaths to calm her surprisingly shaky nerves while she thought back on how she ended up here. It started a few weeks ago when the coffee shop decided to put in a "live entertainment" corner. It was mostly going to feature poetry readings from aspiring authors and perhaps small musical performances for those brave enough to try. At first only Rainbow Dash was really excited for it since she saw it as another opportunity for the Rainbooms to perform and show off how great they were, but her plans where quickly...well dashed when Fluttershy pointed out the corner spot was hardly big enough for their whole band to play. What it _did_ end up being was just big enough for was baby grand piano, which instantly caught Rarity's attention.

Of course she wanted to play it but she didn't want to do it alone. She wanted to "share the experience" as she put it. Unfortunately, the others didn't quite share her excitement. Even Rainbow Dash didn't seemed very enthused at the idea considering she'd have to deal with a "girlie piano" instead of her preferred electric guitar. Not that any of that really mattered because she didn't even bother asking Rainbow or the other girls and went straight to Applejack with her request. Though the cowgirl was as hesitant as the others at first, she just couldn't say "No" to those big, pleading eyes of Rarity's.

And so she found herself standing on the small stage in front of the intimate crowd made up of their friends, classmates and a few random people from the town. Normally it wouldn't be _that_ big a deal, especially given all the stares she and the others received after Twilight's last two visits, except for the fact that Rarity had picked out her outfit to wear for the performance. Said outfit was a simple black cocktail dress with spaghetti straps and hem that was a little too north of the knee for her liking. Thankfully the slit on the left side didn't go _too_ far up her leg and she was able to wear some nice flat boots instead of high heels, which she was never comfortable in. Though she _did_ find it a bit suspicious that Rarity just _happened_ to have this outfit that fit her perfectly lying around.

Speaking of, Rarity naturally put on an outfit for this as well but hers was a deep purple, strapless dress that matched her hair. It also had lavender lace around the chest and hem to give it an extra little flair. And unlike Applejack, she was wearing a pair of matching heels. Which the blonde found a little odd considering they were mostly obscured by the piano but Rarity never was one to half it when it came to outfits.

"Applejack!" Rarity's whispered hiss brought her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she mumbled back before she realized the patrons of the coffeehouse were all giving her confused and impatient stares. "Oh. Right."

She then nodded to Rarity over her shoulder and the purple haired girl cheerfully played the opening keys to the song. Gathering her wits about her, Applejack took a deep breath before she grabbed the mic off the stand and quickly began to sing.

_If you search for tenderness_

_It isn't hard to find_

_You can have the love you need to live_

_But if you look for truthfulness_

_You might just as well be blind_

_It always seems to be so hard to give_

Thankfully the all too familiar lyrics helped ease her into the performance. That was her one stipulation for this ordeal, that _she_ got to pick the song. It may have been an older song but it was one near and dear to her heart thanks to its message. That fact that it happened to be a piano based song certainly didn't hurt at all. She smiled a little as she entered the first occurrence of the refrain.

_Honesty is such a lonely word_

_Everyone is so untrue_

_Honesty is hardly ever heard_

_And mostly what I need from you_

As she finished it, she noticed some of the patrons were beginning to sway to the melody a bit in their seats, which in turn made her start to sway and move around the stage.

_I can always find someone_

_To say they sympathize_

_If I wear my heart out on my sleeve_

She mimicked pulling on her imaginary sleeve at that line then with a bit of a mischievous smile cast a glance Sunset's way.

_But I don't want some pretty face_

_To tell me pretty lies_

_All I want is someone to believe_

She barely suppressed a chuckle at Sunset's surprised and incredulous look before she merely smiled and winked at her to let her know she was kidding. She then turned her attention back to the general audience as she repeated the refrain.

_Honesty is such a lonely word_

_Everyone is so untrue_

_Honesty is hardly ever heard_

_And mostly what I need from you_

When the song hit a piano solo she scanned the crowd and saw a few of the couples in the crowd snuggling up to each other. She also noticed that Lyra and Bon Bon seemed to be sharing a milkshake and staring into each other's eyes as they drank through their individual straws. Then there was one of the corner booths where Octavia sat with her head on Vinyl's shoulder. Though that may have just been to keep Vinyl from putting her headphones back own and actually hearing the performance. Either way she smiled at them then closed her eyes to give a bit of a dramatic flair for the next verse.

She snapped them open again and narrowed them at Rainbow as she sang again.

_I can find a lover_

Again she barely repressed a laugh at not only Rainbow's expression but also the fact that Rarity very nearly missed the next key.

_I can find a friend_

This time she looked at Sunset whose smile seemed to indicate she had forgiven her for the earlier accusation through song.

_I can have security_

_Until the bitter end_

She glanced at Fluttershy who merely tucked her head down a bit as she gave a sheepish smile of recognition.

_Anyone can comfort me_

_With promises again_

Finally she looked towards Pinkie Pie who waved both her arms excitedly and looked like she was about to give a loud cheer when Fluttershy clasped her hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. Pinkie then merely gave to enthusiastic thumbs up.

_I know, _

Applejack sang, as if personally acknowledging the intention of the gesture

_I know_

Rarity added as backup as if she were sharing Applejack's feelings.

_I knooooo-oooow!_

Applejack turned with a flourish as she stretched out the word and began to saunter over to the piano to address Rarity fully with the next few lyrics.

_When I'm deep inside of me_

_Don't be too concerned_

_I won't ask for nothin' while I'm gone_

She leaned over onto the piano to bring her face intimately close to Rarity's. The two stared though half lidded at each other as Applejack brought the microphone up to her lips to continue.

_But when I want sincerity_

_Tell me where else can I turn_

_Cause you're the one that I depend upon_

She then jumped away from the piano and twirled back to the audience as she finished up the song.

_Honesty is such a lonely word_

_Everyone is so untrue_

_Honesty is hardly ever heard_

_And mostly what I need from you_

Applejack placed the microphone back on the stand while Rarity played the song's final tones. When it was over they were met with a rousing applause from the patrons of the coffeehouse. Applejack smiled widely at them and waved when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Rarity now standing next to her and smiling.

"Well. Take a bow darling," she prodded her.

"Only if you take on with me," Applejack retorted.

Rarity's smile widened and she grabbed Applejack's hand so they could take a bow together. When they came back up, Applejack held their linked hands in the air while gesturing to the purple haired girl with her free one. Another around of claps and cheers went out, with Pinkie adding an approving whistle. After another minute of applause they finally stepped down from the stage and moved back over to their friends.

"That was amazing you two!" Sunset beamed.

"It wasn't just great, it was really REALLY great!" Pinkie added with her usually overabundance of cheer.

"It was beautiful too," Fluttershy added.

"Yeah it may not have been a rocking tune but it was pretty good," Rainbow Dash complimented.

"Gee thanks RD," Applejack remarked, placing her hands on her hips.

It was then that she remembered exactly what she was wearing.

"Okay, now that we're done Ah'm gonna go get out of this flimsy thing," she proclaimed.

"Awww, do you have to? You look so good in it," Rarity pouted. "And I worked so hard on getting it to match your figure perfectly."

"How _did_ you get it to be that form fitting anyway?" Rainbow asked, eyeing the dressed up and down.

"Please Dashie, a true designer _never_ gives away her secrets," Rarity quickly pointed out.

"Yeah well Ah'm getting into something more comfortable," Applejack said then spun around so that the others wouldn't notice the blush starting to form on her cheeks. "Rarity Ah'm gonna need you to let me into your car so Ah can get my normal clothes."

"Yes, yes I know," the white girl sighed disappointedly.

As the two walked out of the café, Rainbow narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin as her suspicions grew.

"Anyone else think there's something going on with those two?" she asked to no one in particular.

"You mean like they're keeping a secret?" Fluttershy asked back.

"That's ridiculous!" Pinkie waved off. "Why would they keep secrets from _us_?! We're their friends!"

"Well not everyone wants to share _everything_ with their friends," Sunset pointed out.

"What?! That's crazy! Why wouldn't anyone want to share everything with their friends?!"

"Maybe they're just not sure how they would react to it," Sunset shrugged. "Whatever it is I'm sure they'll tell us when they're ready."

"Hmmm...maybe," Rainbow mumbled, still staring at the door.

She was quite literally pulled out of her gaze when Sunset grabbed her arm and pulled her back down onto the couch they had all been sitting on moments before

"Let it go Rainbow," she said in a strict tone.

"Fine, fine," the blue skinned girl muttered and returned to her drink. "Still you can't tell me you're _not_ curious."

"Doesn't matter. They'll tell us when they want to," Sunset remarked cooly before she took a sip of her drink.

Though she remained calm and collected on the outside, she had to admit to herself that she _was_ a bit curious as to what was going on between Applejack and Rarity and if it was what she had suspected for awhile. Still she had to let things play out on their own.

Even if the suspense was killing her.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Outside in the parking lot, Rarity stood guard over her parents' car while Applejack changed in the backseat. After a few annoyed grunts and lots of car shaking, Applejack finally climbed back out of the car in her usual T-shirt, jean skirt and her normal boots. When she stood up straight she reached back into the backseat to take out her hat and proudly placed it back on her head.

"There. Much better," she mused and handed the black dress and boots back to Rarity.

"Yes, yes, _so_ much better," Rarity grumble as she carefully folded the dress back up then placed it in a plastic bag inside the trunk.

"What's wrong?" Applejack asked, with a slightly annoyed tinge to her voice.

"You just _couldn't_ keep it on a little longer? For _me_?" the other girl demanded.

The blonde sighed and rubbed her temple.

"You _know_ I don't like wearing stuff like that," she explained. "It's just...not my style. And as for doing it for you.." She reached out and took one of Rarity's hands into her own. "This whole night has been for you."

Rarity sighed and looked away in shame.

"I know. I know," she mumbled then looked back up at Applejack. "I just _really_ liked seeing you in that dress."

"Ah'm sure you did," Applejack chuckled then wrapped her other hand around Rarity's waist to slowly pull her closer. "You know, Ah had another reason for picking _that_ song. Ah really think we should tell them."

The purple haired girl let out another sigh as she rested her head on the cowgirl's shoulder.

"I know. But what if...what if they don't accept...us?" she asked nervous. "What if they _hate_ us afterwards."

"They're our _friends_! They'll accept us no matter what!" Applejack reassured her with a comforting back rub.

"It wasn't that long ago that we _weren't_ friends. Remember that? We let stupid, little, petty things come between us. But this...this is a very _big_ thing!"

"Yeah we were _all_ being pretty dumb then," the blonde sighed. "But since Twilight got us all back together our friendship has been stronger than ever! Plus it was Sunset who tricked us all in the first place and now _she's_ part of our group as well so that shouldn't be a problem!"

"I suppose," Rarity said then pulled her head back so she could look into Applejack's green eyes. "I'm just...scared something terrible might happen. I don't want to lose them. Or you."

"Well I can guarantee whatever their reactions may be you ain't ever gonna lose me," she replied with a smile.

They other girl smiled back and they held each other for a moment before they slowly leaned forward until their lips met in a loving kiss. A kiss that, while enjoyable, went on just a bit too long and soon enough the need for air forced them to break it. They did continue to hold each other for few more minutes though.

"Come on, we better get inside before they come looking for us," Applejack suggested.

"Yes, I know," Rarity agreed with a disappointed sigh.

They reluctantly pulled away from each other and started to walk back into the café. As they did though, Rarity reached out and grabbed Applejack's hand. The cowgirl quirked an eyebrow and looked over at her girlfriend.

"Ya know if you don't let go soon, they might notice this," she half-heartedly warned.

Rarity looked over at her and smile. "Let 'em."

Applejack returned the smile. "That's mah gal."

She then opened the door for them to step inside, both of them ready for whatever may come next.

**The End.**

**Author's Notes: **Well here we are in the Equestria Girl's universe again. Yeah I didn't really plan this one, it just kind of came to me when I listened to Billy Joel's "Honesty" again. I always thought that would make a good song for AJ but would have to be set in the EG universe as changing the lyrics to fit ponies would just through the whole rhythm off. Then I thought of Rarity backing her up on the piano and this whole scene popped into my head and just demanded to be written out. Which of course ended up being harder than I thought due to various reasons but I hope it turned out well. Big props to my friend Alexlayer for giving me ideas for what some of the background characters are doing. Adds some nice little touches to the scene I think. Hopefully everything matched up well with the song lyrics and I highly recommend you check out the song since it's a great one written by a master of his craft.

Alright, enough with the humanize ponies, I need to get back to the pony ponies. Now that I have this out of my system and hopefully over my writer's block I can get back to The Elements of Discord and start the next chapter in time for the new season to start! So right on track with that one! Yay!


End file.
